I always say it’s “not a diet.” It’s a lifestyle change. But who am I kidding? My style of life has not changed.

I don’t consider myself to eat all that poorly. We don’t keep snacks in the house. There’s no soda. There’s no chips or candy. No cookies or cake.

For dinner it’s usually a meat (chicken or pork), a carb — potatoes, rice — and then a vegetable. I’d love to say that I’m one of those people who eat vegetables all day long and tons of fruit. But it’s winter, it’s a rough time for us and we can’t afford all the fresh fruits and vegetables that I’d love for us to have.

But I try. We buy frozen fruits and vegetables. I try to bake most of our meat and not fry. I try.

So why can’t I lose weight? I can sit here and talk about my past weight loss issues all day long. But I’m not going to. What I am going to say, though, is that I’m trying right now. I’d like to update here once a week with a progress report. That’s one step.

Another big step that I’m making is that I’ve found two weight loss buddies. We’re emailing back and forth — for accountability, for help, and for support.

And third, as of today I’m attempting to cut out most potatoes/pastas and all cheese out of my diet. I know those are some of the culprits that I eat a LOT of.

Who wants to join me? This is a new year and I WILL do this.

I’m also doing the Slim Fast shake diet. Two meals a day I’m having a shake for my meals. If I don’t do that, I usually end up skipping the meal altogether. So, I feel this is a better option for me.